A Cure to Loneliness
by sparklylulz
Summary: If he would have been bet that at some point in his life, a witch would be completely trashed and on his doorstep, he would never have put money down on Hermione Granger.


She was getting too old to deal with the childish antics of Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter. Yes, she had been their friend for nearly twelve years, but that did not mean she should stand by while their lives sped past her, pistons firing.

At twenty-three years of age, Hermione had witnessed Harry and Ginny fall in love and marry, not that she begrudged them that, it just dug the loneliness knife in her stomach that much deeper. Harry and Ginny were absolutely perfect for each other. Now they were expecting their first child.

Ron had taken much longer to fall in love. He had once chased Hermione, rather pathetically, in her opinion. She had finally just had to flat out say 'no.' She knew she had broken his heart, but she also knew it was not meant to be. Now, he was happily married to Luna, what an unorthodox pair those two were.

She sighed to herself, and glanced out the window. Her flat in Diagon Alley was directly over Florish and Blott's. She was only half a mile away from Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, though she had not seen much of George since Fred's funeral.

She felt awful for him. It had been hard to lose him as a brother for Ron, she couldn't imagine being his twin. George had become a kind of hermit, only going out for holidays and more alcohol.

That's when it hit her. Alcohol was the perfect thing for this awful loneliness she couldn't shake. She had never been much of a drinker, but it was never to late to give it a go. _Just for one night anyway._ She bargained with herself.

* * *

George sat alone in the apartment he once shared with his best friend, and twin brother. He often just sat up in the dark flat, remembering Fred. The way he never put the lid on the toothpaste, and left his socks laying all over George's room.

Everything that had irked George about his brother now were the the things he missed the most. The first two years had been the hardest, on all of them. Eventually, however, he watched Bill and Fleur have their first child; Charlie fall madly in love with Fleur's cousin, Claire; Harry and Ginny marry, and practically raise Teddy Lupin; Ron fall in and out of love with Hermione, before realizing his love for Luna Lovegood; and Percy had married Penelope Clearwater, and gave birth to a beautiful girl, Mary. Yes, all the Weasley siblings were happily married, except for him.

George didn't mind being alone, or rather he had grown so used to it, that he couldn't imagine his life without loneliness. In all honesty, he was afraid to give his heart to someone again just to have them be taken from him. It had been different with Fred, of course, Fred was his brother. Never-the-less, George never wanted to experience the pain of having a person he loved leave him again.

He could imagine what Fred would do. Fred was always the more outgoing of the pair, he would have never let any fear of love keep him from getting what he wanted. Thinking about Fred didn't cause him to weep anymore, but it did make him break out the Firewhiskey.

* * *

"Haven't ever seen you here before, deary. What can I get ya?" Hermione looked up to Tom the barman's happy and elderly face.

"Oh, uhm, a bottle of Firewhiskey." She said. She was nervous, she'd never done anything like this before, she didn't know how to do it right.

Though Tom gave her a strange look, he obliged and brought a bottle and a glass for the young witch.

Two and a half hours later, Hermione was entirely **smashed**. Her evening was not going quite as planned. She'd already hexed two bloke's for asking to buy her another drink.

She knew there was no way she could walk home, she'd be lucky if she could manage to get to the door. She was only slightly worried about this, however, as the alcohol was numbing all her worries at the moment.

Though she was drunk off her ass, she could still feel the loneliness that hovered above her like a dark black cloud. She was more sad than irritated about this, as she had been expecting it.

It was almost midnight when she stood to leave, not being able to stand sitting in there alone anymore. She couldn't Apparate like this, nor could she walk home. As she wrapped her scarf about her head she looked out the frosty door to see the twin's jokeshop. Though she knew she shouldn't, she made her way to the tall building.

* * *

George was asleep when he heard the knocking on his door. He checked his clock.  
_Who would be calling at bloody midnight?_ He grunted as he heaved himself out of bed, and stumbled, bleary-eyed to the door.

If he would have been bet that at some point in his life, a witch would be completely trashed and on his doorstep, he would never have put money down on Hermione Granger.

She looked half amused and half miserable, if that were even possible. She smiled at him, the stench of alcohol wafting off of her to his nose. He understood at once.

"Had a few too many tonight, eh, 'Mione?" He asked, smirking at her. She did not handle her alcohol very well.

"Oh George, I couldn't make it back, and I didn't-" She was beginning to regret this decision.

"It's fine." He assured her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into his apartment out of the cold. He sat her on his couch and left to make her a cup of hot tea.

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty, Hogwarts..."_

George chuckled to himself in the kitchen. They should have gotten Hermione trashed long before tonight.

* * *

Hermione watched as George reentered the room, carrying a cup full of steaming tea to her.

"Here. It's got a Sobering Solution in it, so you'll be back to your normal self." He smiled slightly, passing her the cup. She just nodded and took a large gulp of the tea before setting the cup down.

"I am terribly sorry. I wouldn't have bothered, I just didn't wanna end up hurt..." She trailed off. George was too absorbed in staring at her to actually listen.

When had she gotten so beautiful? She'd always been pretty, he knew that, but she was always so young when he knew her before. Now she was older, her once bushy hair, was tamed into soft brown ringlets that framed her heart shaped face. Her brown eyes seemed to hold a pain only she knew. He couldn't understand it, but he wished to pull her to him, to hold her until that pain left her eyes.

"George? You okay?" She asked, snapping him back to the current conversation, or lack there of.

"Oh yeah. Well not really, but I'm well enough." He said simply, looking about the apartment, wishing that he had some way of comforting her.

"I miss him too, you know?" She said softly, turning his head so she could gaze into his brilliant blue eyes. He looked at her for a moment, before nodding slowly.

* * *

It was as if it were the first time Hermione had actually looked at him. She could see all of the freckles that covered his nose, and how his vibrant hair fell near his shoulders. She could see the puffiness from where he'd cried. She could also see the empty pain his ice blue eyes held.

"We're very much alike." She laughed, without much humor, more at the irony of the situation.

George looked at her, and she could tell he was questioning her.

"We're both alone. So much so that we feel as if we'll die from the empty pain of it all." She stated, reaching out for his hand.

George simply stared at her, she always had gotten everything right. The desire to touch her made him move closer to her cautiously.

She didn't say anything as he leaned his head down to hers and connected his lips to her own. She hadn't kissed many people, neither had he for that matter, but it felt incredibly _right_ to both of them.

She pulled him off the couch and to the small bedroom. She pushed him onto the bed, his eyes questioned her intentions, and for once she just didn't think. She let her instincts dominate her.

"Hermione? Are you sure?" He asked, as she took her shirt off and discarded his.

"I have never been more sure in my life." She said. He smiled at her, kissing her stomach. She giggled a little bit from being ticklish.

"Is it your first time?" He asked. She nodded with a deep red coloring her cheeks. He smiled encouragingly at her.

"Don't worry, I would never hurt you." He breathed in her ear as he kissed her.

* * *

"For Merlin's sake, are you two ready yet!" Ginny Potter yelled up the staircase to her husband and godson.

"Yes, Gin. Down in sec." Harry said from the upper floor, on his way down the stairs he scooped up six-year-old Teddy and carried him downstairs. He kissed his wife's cheek and rubbed her already enormous tummy.

"Finally. Ron's in the fire. Says it's important." She said, smiling at her husband.

Sure enough, Ron's red head was looking out at his sister and brother in law. "What's up?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Hermione's missing, also George is refusing to come to dinner." He said slowly, Harry did not take the news of his best friend being astray very well.

"Mum's decided that if George won't come to us, we're all going to him. All of us." With that his head popped out of the fire.

* * *

Hermione woke, very sore, and very groggy to find someone drapped over her. She smiled, remembering her previous night. George's head was facing her, she ran her fingers through his hair, kissing his forehead every so often.

"'Mione?" He asked, smiling at her. He leaned over to kiss her softly.

"Happy Christmas, George." She smiled, leaning into his warmth.

She knew that she'd end up in love with George, just as he knew he'd end up in love with her.

"Happy Christmas, beautiful." He grinned, sitting up and slobbering her with kisses.

"Ack! Stop it!" She laughed, pushing him off her. "Fine, have it your way." He said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Before she could stop him, he began tickling her sides.

* * *

"Alright, all here? Ginny, Harry, Teddy, Bill, Fleur, Victoire, Charlie, Claire, Arthur, Ron, Luna, Percy, Penelope, Mary and myself. Yes? Good." Mrs. Weasley said smiling at all of them.

"Now you all know what to do. Apparate to the steps, not the actually flat, George never did like surprises." She instructed in her motherly way, and left them all to do so.

As soon as the all had arrived outside of George's flat, Mr. Weasley knocked on the door.

"Teddy! Stop throwing snow." Ginny said, nudging him. Teddy dropped the snowball he was aiming at his godfather, with a cheeky grin.

The door suddenly opened, and no one wasn't shocked.

* * *

George and Hermione both heard the knocking, and turned to each other, laughing at nothing. George slid on pants, and Hermione slipped on one of George's button up shirts. It was the exact color of his eyes.

She made her way to the kitchen as he made his way to the door.

He wrenched it open to see the entirety of his family at the door. _Well, this is going to be awkward, hope you're laughing up there Fred._ He chuckled to himself.

"Hello family! Do come in." He grinned, which took all of the people huddled in the cold aback, but they followed him in.

"George, love, would you like hot cocoa or tea?" George blushed scarlett as Hermione walked into the living room in nothing but his shirt.

"Oh." Was all she could manage to get out, before dropping the tea bag she held.

"I think we found Hermione." Ron smirked, and then they all broke out into laughter.

* * *

In years to come, Hermione and George would marry and have their own beautiful son, Fred Arthur Weasley.

It had only taken one bottle of Firewhiskey, a verse of the Hogwarts Song, a cup of tea and a few tears for both of them to never be alone again.

Apart they were just two broken pieces, but together they were perfectly whole.


End file.
